JACKSONVILLE, FLA - The Jacksonville Sharks announce the addition of offensive and defensive lineman Derrick Morse to the 2011 roster.

Morse (6'5, 310, Miami) heads to Jacksonville after a stint in both the NFL and UFL after a standout career at the University of Miami (FL). Morse was recently released from contract with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the UFL. Prior to being with the Mountain Lions, Morse saw action in four preseason games with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free-agent in 2008.

Starting 29 games in his five-year collegiate career, Morse was an All-ACC honorable mention as well as being the recipient of coach-given awards for commitment, leadership and consistency. Morse played in three consecutive bowl games, including a 27-10 victory over the Florida Gators in the 2004 Peach Bowl.

Morse was a consensus choice as one of the finest offensive linemen in Florida out of Estero High School in south Florida. As a junior in 2001, recorded 74 pancake blocks in a 10-game season. He was rated the 38th best offensive lineman in the country by Allen Wallace's SuperPrep and a SuperPrep All-American. Morse was rated a Top 30 prospect by SuperPrep, Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report and the Orlando Sentinel Florida Top 100. He was also third-team selection of the Fox Sports Net All-South Team.

The Jacksonville Sharks are members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The reigning South Division Champions play all home games on Sea Best Field at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The Sharks return to action Saturday, March 12, 2011 in Arizona to battle the Rattlers. The Sharks return home Saturday, March 19, 2011 to take on division foe Georgia Force. Season tickets for the 2011 season are now available. To reserve your season tickets, group tickets, or for more information please call (904) 621-0700.

At 25, the desire to play in the NFL still burns inside the immense frame of the former Estero High and University of Miami offensive lineman.That’s why Morse is eager to give professional football another shot.

Morse said that he agreed to a one-year contract with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League on Thursday night.

“I’m excited,” the Bonita Springs resident said. “It’s another opportunity for me to show what I can do. I think there’s still some football left in me.”

Invited by his former college line coach Art Kehoe, who holds the same position with the Mountain Lions, Morse attended Sacramento’s one-day tryout last month. He’ll return to California on Tuesday for the team’s mini-camp.

Morse hopes to earn a spot as a starting guard or center for a team which is owned by the husband of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and is coached and managed by former Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green. Sacramento will open its season on Sept. 18 in Connecticut against the Hartford Colonials.

Morse’s 6-foot-5, 325-pound figure is close to the dimensions he sported when he manned the OL for four years in Coral Gables.

Since those college days ceased, Morse’s ultimate goal -— playing in the NFL — hasn’t evaporated. He believes a strong performance in the second-year UFL could catch some eyes.

“I’m trying to use this as a stepping stone to get back to the NFL,” he said.

After his college career concluded in 2007, Morse pursued a job in the NFL. He played in four preseason games with Cleveland in 2008, but was cut by the Browns before the regular season commenced.

When no team expressed interest in him last year, Morse acknowledged he was “down in the dumps.”

Even though it’s been nearly two years since he last played in a game, Morse said he might be in the best shape of his life. He’s been working out under the guidance of Rick Lademann at Beyond Motion in Naples.

Whether Morse’s playing career ascends to higher levels remains to be seen. The long-term substitute teacher and assistant football coach at Cape Coral’s Island Coast High admits, however, that this shot might just be his final one.

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